Jacqui, from Dirty Sparkle blog
Hi Paula,
We have been getting a lot of press her in the UK about the NHS here being rubbish. In fact it is wonderful.
Sure, it has it's faults, like sometimes you have to wait and sometimes you can't get the 'cure' straight away. Overall, the most beneficial thing about it is it helps those on low income, primarily. There is no charge at all for treatment or prescriptions for those who earn below a threshold. Children get ALL free treatment and so do pensioners. Everyone gets a similar level of treatment.
At the more affluent end, extra heath care insurance can be taken out so that if you want a plush room with plasma screen TV you can have that. But basically, the 'national insurance' premium is deducted at source form salaries and treatment is provided for everyone. This inspires a basic confidence that you will definitely get treatment if you get ill. The cosmetic dental and cosmetic surgery system is completely separate - all actual illness is treated
in nationally approved surgeries, clinics and hospitals.
It's a wonderful thing. I hope you soon have something similar.
Jacqueline Christodoulou, Ph.D.
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Switched at Birth
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If you like Birds on a Wire, you'll probably like one or both of those blogs, too. They're written by intelligent, thoughtful women who offer their readers much to ponder, and many ways to participate in a lively discussion.
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